Franz Klammer (Skier) - Pics, Videos, Dating, & News Franz Klammer Male Born Dec 3, 1953 Franz Klammer is a former champion alpine ski racer. Klammer overwhelmingly dominated the downhill event for four consecutive World Cup seasons. He was the gold medalist at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, winning the downhill at Patscherkofel in dramatic fashion. He won 25 World Cup downhills, including four on the Hahnenkamm at KitzbÃ¼hel.… Read More related links News + Updates Browse recent news and stories about Franz Klammer. 2014 Olympics Downhill Skiing: Matthias Mayer Wins, Pre Race Favorite Bode Miller Knocked Out Of Medal Position Huffington Post Sports - Feb 09, 2014 'KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia (AP) â Matthias Mayer added his name to Austria\'s rich skiing lore by winning gold in the Olympic downhill before ever earning a World Cup victory.

\nThe son of an Olympic medalist, Mayer raced down the Rosa Khutor course in 2 minutes, 6.23 seconds Sunday to win Alpine skiing\'s signature race. Christof Innerhofer of Italy took silver, only 0.06 seconds behind, and Kjetil Jansrud of Norway earned bronze, 0.10 behind. \nPre-race favorites Aksel Lund Svindal and Bod... Werbung Im Sport: Verpixelt Und Zugepflastert Die Presse.Com Google News - Aug 27, 2011 'Hans Krankl, <mark>Franz Klammer</mark> und Hermann Maier haben es geschafft.

Die Zeiten, in denen sie als Spitzensportler fÃ¼r Furore gesorgt haben, sind lange vorbei und trotzdem sind sie nach wie vor omniprÃ¤sent: als Testimonials, als Werbebotschafter fÃ¼r' Franz Klammer: "Eine Wunderbare Aufgabeâ Spox.Com Google News - Aug 26, 2011 'Gleich am ersten Tag war Laureus-Mitglied <mark>Franz Klammer</mark> zu Besuch in der Soccer Academy, um den 60 Teilnehmern und Teilnehmerinnen wertvolle Tipps zu geben und fleiÃig Autogramme zu schreiben. Seit Montag lÃ¤uft in Hallein das erste Laureus-Projekt in' Fairmont Heritage Place, Franz Klammer Lodge Presents The Fall 2011 Telluride ...

Middle East North Africa Financial Network Google News - Aug 23, 2011 'Reservations for all of the season&#39;s top Telluride events can be made through the Fairmont Heritage Place, <mark>Franz Klammer</mark> Lodge at 888-728-0355 or Film Festival: September 2-5, What&#39;s' Learn about the memorable moments in the evolution of Franz Klammer. CHILDHOOD 1953 Birth Born on December 3, 1953. 1954 Birth At the World Championships from 1954 through 1980, the combined was a "paper race" using the results of the three events (DH, GS, SL). … Read More ^ Klammer was an alternate on the 1980 team and did not compete. Read Less TEENAGE Show Less … Franz Klammer (born 3 December 1953) is a former champion alpine ski racer from Austria. Klammer overwhelmingly dominated the downhill event for four consecutive World Cup seasons (1975-78).

He was the gold medalist at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, winning the downhill at Patscherkofel by a margin of .33 seconds with a time of 1:45.73. He won 25 World Cup downhills, including four on the Hahnenkamm at KitzbÃ¼hel. He holds the record for the most victories (four) on the full course at KitzbÃ¼hel. <br /><br />Born into a farming family in Mooswald, Carinthia, and like many alpine farm boys, Klammer skied to school each winter day. His home village did not have any ski lifts, so as a child he climbed up the pasture behind his house to ski downhill. Klammer started racing at the relatively late age of 14, competing in the winter whilst working on the family farm during the summer after he dropped out of school. He had a tough struggle to make the Austrian ski team, traditionally dominated by the states of Tyrol and Salzburg.

Read Less He made his World Cup debut at the age of 19 in 1972 at the Val Gardena downhill: he finished ninth in the training run for the race, but could only manage 32nd place on race day due to nerves. He spent 13 seasons on the World Cup circuit, from December 1972 to March 1985. 1973 19 Years Old Klammer first showed signs of promise in the second half of the 1973 World Cup season, finishing second in the St. Anton downhill behind Bernhard Russi of Switzerland, the reigning Olympic and World Cup downhill champion. … Read More Klammer, age 19, followed this up with a third at St. Moritz and a third in the giant slalom at Mont Sainte-Anne (the only time he finished on the podium in a World Cup GS in his career). The following season he finished second in the downhill standings behind Roland Collombin of Switzerland, his nemesis that season.

After beating Collombin and Russi at Schladming in December 1973 under terrible conditions, Collombin bested him at Garmisch, Avoriaz, and Wengen. Read Less TWENTIES 1974 20 Years Old In December 1974, Collombin fell at Val-d'IsÃ¨re, as he had the previous year. … Read More This time Collombin broke his back in a training run, unfortunately ending his promising career. Read Less Klammer is married to Eva: the couple met in 1975 when he was in Tunisia at a fitness camp with the Austrian ski team. … Read More They have two daughters, Sophie and Stephanie.

Read Less Klammer won that race and every other downhill that 1975 season, except MegÃ¨ve, where one of his skis came off; without this incident, he would have won the overall World Cup title in March 1975, due to a good slalom result two days before at Chamonix, which would have granted him at least a third place (15 points) for the AK-combined of slalom Chamonix / downhill MegÃ¨ve. In the Olympic test event at Patscherkofel at Innsbruck in January 1975, Klammer had defeated defending Olympic champion Bernhard Russi of Switzerland, the runner-up, by nearly a half-second. … Read More Entering the 1976 Winter Olympics, the 22-year-old Klammer was the favorite to take the gold medal in the downhill at Innsbruck in his native Austria. He was the defending World Cup downhill champion, and had won the three previous downhills in January at Wengen, Morzine, and KitzbÃ¼hel, and also won the previous year's race on the same Patscherkofel course.

Starting in 15th position, Klammer was the last of the top seeds, and knew that Russi had set a blistering pace and led by over a half-second. Klammer took heavy risks on the treacherous piste, skied on the edge of disaster, and won by .33 seconds to the delight of the Austrian fans. A dozen years earlier on the same course in 1964, Egon Zimmermann posted a 2:18.16 to win the gold medal; Klammer's 1:45.73 was more than thirty two seconds faster. Read Less At the end of the 1975 season, despite having won 8 of 9 downhills, he finished third for the overall World Cup title. … Read More The final event was a parallel slalom and Klammer lost in the first round. Italy's Gustav ThÃ¶ni defeated Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark in the finals and won his fourth overall title in five years; Klammer finished fourth overall in 1976, third in 1977, and fifth in 1978.

Read Less Klammer won the World Cup downhill title five times: 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, and 1983; twice more than the next best downhiller. In the 1975 season he won 8 of 9 World Cup downhill races, including his first of three consecutive victories (1975â77) on the prestigious Streif on the Hahnenkamm at KitzbÃ¼hel. … Read More He won a fourth in 1984, at the age of 30. Read Less 1978 24 Years Old After his fourth consecutive season title in downhill in 1978, he began a prolonged slump until the end of the 1981 season. … Read More He may have been affected by his brother's spinal cord injury in a downhill race, as well as a change of ski supplier (from Fischer to Kneissl).

Read Less Unable to make the strong four-member Austrian downhill team for the 1980 Olympics, Klammer could not defend his Olympic title at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. From 1948 through 1980, the Winter Olympics were also the World Championships for alpine skiing. 1981 27 Years Old Rather than retire, he worked long and hard at a comeback; finally in December 1981, after another ski change from Kneissl to Blizzard, he won at Val-d'IsÃ¨re. THIRTIES Show Less The following season he regained the World Cup Downhill title, his fifth, followed by the 1984 victory at Kitzbuehel, his fourth on the Hahnenkamm. … Read More At the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo, (then Yugoslavia, now Bosnia), Klammer finished a disappointing tenth on a less-than-challenging course on BjelaÅ¡nica. The race was won by the brash Bill Johnson of the U.S., an excellent glider who had recently won his first World Cup race on a shortened course at Wengen.

Johnson had promising training runs and publicly predicted his Olympic victory. Klammer had been involved in a controversy with Johnson when he described him to a teammate as a "nasenbohrer" after he won a race earlier in the season. The term is slang in some German speaking areas for a rookie but its literal translation is "nose picker."<br /><br /> At his peak (Wengen 1976 to Wengen 1977), Klammer won ten consecutive downhills, including the spectacular, pressure-laden win at the 1976 Olympics. He won 8 of 9 during the 1975 season and also won 19 of 23, 20 of 26 and 21 of 29 downhills. His career total is 26 downhill wins: 25 World Cup and 1 Olympic. These achievements mark him as arguably the greatest downhill racer ever: Karl Schranz achieved 20 wins over an extended career while Klammer won 19 in less than three seasons.

Read Less … In an interview with Austrian television in 2006, the 52-year-old Klammer was asked about his greatest achievement. Read Less He answered that although his gold medal at the Olympic Games in Innsbruck was generally regarded as his greatest career achievement, winning at KitzbÃ¼hel in 1984 meant something very special to him, considering he hadn't won there since 1977. 1985 31 Years Old His final World Cup race was in March 1985 at Aspen, Colorado; he retired from international competition at age 31.Klammer finished with 26 World Cup victories, 45 podiums and 87 top ten finishes (71 downhill, 5 combined, 11 giant slalom). Immediately after his retirement from alpine competition, Klammer took up motor racing, and was soon involved in touring car racing, driving Mercedes-Benz saloons all over Europe and racing professionally as far away as Australia. In 1990 Klammer won a round of the prestigious European Touring Car Championship.

… Read More Klammer was a hero to Austrian ski racing fans and also to fans the world over for doing a great deal to promote the popularity of alpine ski racing. He is known as "The Kaiser" and also as the "Klammer Express." Read Less LATE ADULTHOOD 2015 61 Years Old In a 2015 interview with Graham Bell for the Daily Telegraph, Klammer attributed his success to being the first downhiller to carve a whole turn from start to finish, contrasting his style with skiers of the previous generation such as Karl Schranz and Jean-Claude Killy who would skid at the start of a turn before engaging in a carve.

… Read More In an interview with Tom Brokaw that aired on NBC on February 13, 2010, as part of their 2010 Winter Olympics coverage, American Olympian ski racer Bode Miller cited Klammer's style and approach to skiing as a major source of inspiration for him.<br /><br /> Inspired by his younger brother Klaus, who was paralysed from the waist down after a crash in a downhill at the age of 16, Klammer has established the Franz Klammer Foundation, which benefits seriously injured athletes. Read Less Original Authors of this text are noted on . Franz Klammer says ski racing has become too fast | Skiracing.com December 10, 2005 / By Franz Klammer says ski racing has become too fast Franz Klammer says ski racing has become too fast{mosimage}Former Olympic downhill champion Franz Klammer says ski racing has become too fast. The Austrian, downhill gold medalist at the 1976 Innsbruck Games, said the shape of racing skis needs to be changed to ensure athletes’ safety.

“There has to be a limit like in Formula One where they are going from 10 cylinders to eight,” Klammer said Thursday. “Speeds on the straights are way too fast, people are injuring themselves without even falling.” Klammer, in Rome to take part in the Torino Olympics torch relay, also called for changes in the way courses are prepared. Klammer will carry the torch Friday outside Rome in the second day of the Torino relay. “Carrying the Olympic spirit is very important to me. My results at the Olympics changed my life,” he said. “I took part in the Innsbruck Opening Ceremony and I am just as proud now to carry the torch.” Klammer met with slalom great Alberto Tomba on Thursday. Tomba is considered the favorite to light the flame at the Opening Ceremony in Torino on Feb. 10. “Everyone dreams of lighting the flame. They have asked me to be at the stadium. It’s only right that it’s a surprise,” he said. Tomba was the first skier to win medals at three Winter Olympics and Italy has struggled to produce a genuine winter sports star since he retired in 1998.

Tomba said that new local ski stars “are coming,” mentioning Giorgio Rocca, winner of the World Cup season’s first slalom race Sunday. “Racing at home is a huge responsibility, it’s not easy,” Tomba said of the pressure Rocca and other Italians will face in Torino. As usual, Austrians will be among the favorites in skiing at the Games. Klammer, however, would like to see Austrian dominance weakened somewhat.

“I’m proud of our team but it would be better for the sport overall,” he said, adding that the favorites usually don’t win at the Olympics anyway — “except Alberto and myself.” Franz Klammer - 2010 Winter Olympics - Olympic Athletes - Vancouver, Canada - ESPN Overall ranking : 3rd (1975, 1977) Downhill: 1st (1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1983), 2nd (1974) 26 victories NOTE From 1956 to 1980, the results of the downhill, giant slalom and slalom at the Olympic Games counted also for the World Championships. The combined event which was not included in the Olympic medal tally was only considered as a world title. The Klammer Express Two statistics stand out in Franz Klammer's extraordinary career to put his achievements into perspective: his extraordinary ten-race unbeaten run in downhills in 1974 and his sensational victory on the hair-raising downhill track at Innsbruck in 1976.

Although the Austrian had a powerful build and great strength it was his technique that made him such a remarkable skier and which enabled him to win five World Cup downhill titles between 1975 and 1983. Observers say that he was unique among top athletes in being able to somehow "float" on his skis in perfect harmony with the snow conditions and vertiginous angles and corners of the track. His technique consisted of maintaining his skis flat on the track while using his powerful ankles and knees as shock absorbers, thereby achieving maximum speed. Despite securing a place in the hugely competitive Austrian team in 1970 Klammer had to wait until 1973 for his first downhill victory at Schladming. Innsbruck the stage for greatest moment His greatest moment came at Innsbruck in 1976 in the Olympic downhill, considered by many as the most technically brilliant in the history of skiing. The Austrian appeared to be racing not on snow but on rails as he flew down the course, comfortably edging out his great rival, the Swiss Bernhard Russi.

Despite his acknowledged reputation as the giant of downhill skiing, Klammer was never able to quite repeat his stunning form at Innsbruck, partly perhaps because of a knee injury. It was no real surprise, therefore, when he was left out of the Austrian side for the Lake Placid Games in 1980. Klammer was down but not out, and after months of hard training he was back to his very best, winning the downhill World Cup title for the fifth time in 1983. His final downhill triumph - he won 25 in all - came at Kitzbuhel in 1985 and he finally retired at the end of the season to concentrate on his sports equipment collection and his sports complex in Colorado in the US. Later Klammer returned to his native Carinthia where he became part of a team promoting the region and in 1998 he founded a society to help struggling athletes with psychological or financial difficulties. He also acted as spokesman for the organising committee responsible for Klagenfurt's candidacy to host the 2006 Winter Olympics before Turin got the nod. Copyright 2008 Agence France-Presse.

1976: Franz Klammer Olympic Downhill | Down Goes Frazier 1976: Franz Klammer Olympic Downhill February 11, 2014 There’s almost no comparison in the evolution of sports entertainment than the worldwide television spectacle of the Olympic games. TV captured all the danger and drama of men’s downhill skiing during an outrageous two minutes at the 1976 Winter Olympics. Austrian favorite Franz Klammer had managed to win three world cup downhills prior to the Innsbruck games, but top rival Bernhard Russi of Switzerland mastered the 1.88 mile Olympic course. The reigning Olympic champion, Russi’s time seemed unbeatable as the piste turned into a sheet of ice. Klammer drew the short stick as the final competitor of the day, with lengthening shadows and impossible conditions setting up an action-packed rally, indelibly captured by ABC Sports announcers Frank Gifford and Bob Beattie. Klammer’s daring, go-for-broke effort — is he racing or crashing? — speaks for itself. But another thing that strikes strongest in the video is the spectators.

Some 66,000 people lined the course to cheer their homeboy Klammer to victory. In a “you’ll never see that again / what in the world were they thinking?” scene, the fans stand 4 deep at the fence, close enough to touch Klammer on his way down. ABC Sports was known for its penchant for stunt announcing teams at the Olympics, and former pro footballer Gifford and alpine ski enthusiast Beattie firmly established the tradition of Olympic broadcast hype with one of the classic calls of the ’70s. But it was Klammer himself who redefined the old sports cliche “in dramatic fashion” with a courageous run at Innsbruck. Share this: Franz Weber, Inc. - Company - Skiing With Champions Experience the Hahnenkamm, the Super Bowl of Down Hill Skiing! Join Franz Klammer (Olympic, World and World Cup Champion and four-time Hahnenkamm Winner, DH), Franz Weber (Olympian and six-time World Speed Skiing Champion) and other Olympic and World Cup Champions in Innsbruck-Igls, Zï¿½rs and Kitzbï¿½hel, Austria.

The highlight of the trip is attending and watching the Hahnenkamm Downhill Race on the famous "Streif" (downhill course) ï¿½ it includes the lifetime experience of skiing the downhill course on the day of the race with former Hahnenkamm Champions. We will visit Innsbruck (the hometown of Franz Weber), ski the Olympic downhill where Franz Klammer won his gold medal, bobsled on the Olympic track, witness a spectacular ski-jumping exhibition, dine at historic locations, lunch at intimate mountain chalets, and compete in a Champion-coached race day where the group will have fun skiing against each other. You will experience a memorable adventure skiing between valleys and villages amid beautiful Austrian scenery, sampling wonderful European cuisines and wines, basking in the warm local hospitality and participating in the Hahnenkamm celebration in a unique and exclusive manner provided by your Austrian ski hosts! These trips include celebrating with VIP's, celebrities and champions throughout the week. Past celebrities joining our group have included astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Arnold Schwarzenegger and their friends and family. In addition to the Hahnenkamm, we host several other Skiing with Champions adventures at other exclusive destinations.

Olympics-Alpine skiing-Mayer needs Kitzbuehel win to prove greatness-Klammer Olympics-Alpine skiing-Mayer needs Kitzbuehel win to prove greatness-Klammer Share By Martyn Herman ROSA KHUTOR, Russia, Feb 13 (Reuters) - An Austrian flyer with a downhill gold medal from his first Olympics at the age of 23, Matthias Mayer will surely go down as one of the ski-mad nation's greats. Not so fast, says Franz Klammer whose hair-raising romp to gold at the 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck is still regarded as one of the greatest ski runs in history. "Yes, the Olympic gold medal lasts forever but skiing-wise, for an Austrian downhiller, you have to win at Kitzbuehel," Klammer told Reuters at the Tyrolean-style Austria House in Rosa Khutor, complete with oompah bands, log fires and lederhosen. "To consider yourself one of the greats you have to win there.

He has to do it - but Matthias has lots of time on his side, he's only 23, and I'm sure he will." Klammer, now 60, won three years in a row (1975-77) on the infamous Streif course in Kitzbuehel, skiing's equivalent of Formula One's Monaco Grand Prix, and he cemented his standing when he won there again in 1984, aged 30. Before grabbing gold on Sunday, Mayer had never won a World Cup race and in three attempts at Kitzbuehel he has finished 40th, 16th and 11th. Klammer, who said he grew up on "the same mountain" as Mayer, believes claiming that Olympic gold so early in his career can catapult Mayer to greatness. "I think he can go on to win more," said Klammer, who rates Mayer as a favourite for the super-G here. "It's the start of his career, he's only 23 and he has so many things ahead of him. He can have a huge World Cup career and also a great Olympics and world championships career.

"The pressure is off him now, the first one is the most difficult, the second one is easier when you're in good shape. "I was 22 when I won in '76. Young kids have the strength, the flexibility and are not pushing themselves. They are just doing it and having fun, that's the mentality." Arms flailing, at times defying the laws of gravity on one ski and apparently heading for a fall, Klammer trademarked his unique hell-for-leather style when winning gold in Innsbruck. Mayer did things a little differently down the technical Rosa Khutor course which required a more delicate touch. "He is the Olympic champion and he deserves it," Klammer said. "He was the smartest and the coolest guy on the day." But how would Klammer have fared down the same track? "Skiing has totally changed. The equipment has changed dramatically, the style of skiing is a little bit different, sometimes a little smoother but you still have to win. "You still have to hit every turn, if you mess up one turn it was bad in 1976 and it's still bad now.

"I might have skied it a bit different though." Klammer, who moved into sportscar racing after hanging up his ski boots, said he saw similarities between himself in his prime and Austria's new kid on the block. "We come from the same mountain, me on one side and him on the other side," he said. "My speciality, I guess, was finding some time when it's not there and he showed he could do that with maybe one special turn. "That's what you need to be a champion." Asked what advice he had for his compatriot, Klammer said: "He is behaving just about right, he's having fun and when it's time to concentrate he is concentrating. "It's a huge pride for an Austrian because we are a downhill nation. I heard there was a good party here on Sunday.

If you ski fast, you have to party fast." (Additional reporting by Alan Baldwin and Annika Breidthardt; Editing by Robert Woodward) Reblog Olympic Memories | International Skiing History Association FRANZ KLAMMER’S RECKLESS GOLD-MEDAL RUN Franz Klammer produced one of the most thrilling moments in alpine racing history with his reckless gold-medal run on the treacherous Patscherkofel downhill course at Innsbruck, Austria in February 1976. It was a huge achievement, as there was so much pressure on him prior to that Olympic race. The Austrian had become a hero in his country after having won a dozen downhill races in previous seasons. His fans adored his down-to-earth personality and his aggressive style. Klammer felt he “had” to win the Olympic downhill for the honor of his ski-crazy country and the estimated 60,000 spectators who gathered along the race course to watch the competition. The streets across the nation were empty and factory workers received a special break, so they could watch the event on TV with millions of their compatriots.

Everyone got nervous after defending Olympic champion Bernhard Russi from Switzerland set the best time after a nearly flawless run. The course was rougher when a nervous Klammer pushed himself out of the starting hut. The screams of thousands of spectators must have been heard for miles. The blow-by-blow delivered over the PA system didn’t help their nerves—Klammer was behind the leaders at the intermediate times. Even his coaches were tense. “He is out, he can’t make it…” shouted triple Olympic champion Toni Sailer, alpine director of the Austrian team, after seeing Franz fly high into the air off the Ochsenschlag jump in the upper part of the run. Yet Franz fought hard to stay on line, his arms wheeling in the air while approaching the last turns. He was two-tenths of a second behind Russi. He nearly crashed again on one of the last jumps yet recovered to cross the finish line with the winning time, only a few tenths of a second ahead of his Swiss rival and friend.

The crowd went nuts as the announcers in ABC’s commentator booth—Frank Gifford, Bob Beattie and their special host Jackie Stewart, the former Formula One world car-racing champion—told the world the results. “I can’t believe it, he has been amazing!” Stewart said. Only a few months later, Franz told me how he managed to clinch that title after his fantastic run. “When I started, the course was basically ruined and I knew I had only a small chance to win,” he said. “So I decided to take even more risks than I had planned, especially in the Ochsenschlag section. “I had seen in training that a few skiers, including Ken Read of Canada, had tested a straighter yet very risky line there. As I approached it, I made a last-second decision to go for it instead of following my usual rounder line. I made a huge jump and thought I would crash, yet I managed to survive and land on my skis. I was not sure how much time I gained or lost, yet it gave me so much determination that I kept risking everything until the last meter. “I was amused later to discover that I was the only skier who dared to take that line.

The other favorites were not as gutsy or crazy. That’s how I won that day.” Photo caption: The race course was rough and the pressure was on when Klammer pushed out of the starting hut in the downhill. “I knew I only had a small chance to win,” he told the author. “So I decided to take even more risks.” LAKE PLACID 1980 MOSER-PROELL WINS THE RACE… AND WINS REDEMPTION Annemarie Moser-Proell dominated her time as no other skier before and after her. The Austrian set an impressive record of 62 victories and 115 podium finishes on the World Cup tour in only 175 competitions. Her last victory—in the Olympic downhill at Lake Placid in 1980—was particularly emotional and a great story, too. To fully understand Annemarie’s crowning achievement, it’s important to look back at the 1972 Olympics at Sapporo, Japan. She was the skier to beat after her great season start, marked by five victories and four podiums finishes in all three classic specialties: downhill, slalom and giant slalom.

Yet the 18-year-old turned out to be the victim of the political storm that eliminated her teammate Karl Schranz, unfairly disqualified by the IOC at the beginning of the Games for having apparently earned endorsement money as a ski racer. Schranz didn’t want to leave Japan alone and he put pressure on the entire team to fly back home with him. There were some hot meetings within the Austrian squad, but the other racers didn’t want to miss their chance for an Olympic medal just a few hours before the start of the show. One of his strongest opponents was the very determined Annemarie Proell. She fought for her rights, yet lost focus and energy during the intense political battle. After Schranz flew back to Vienna, where he was welcomed by a huge crowd on the main square, “La Proell” did her best to recoup, yet could not achieve her potential on race days. She finished second in downhill and giant slalom behind the unknown Swiss teenager Marie-Therese Nadig, who had never reached any major podium before the 1972 Olympics. As a consolation prize, Proell won the FIS gold medal for her success in the three-event combined, yet she apparently threw the medal away after receiving it.

Four years later, she missed the 1976 Games at Innsbruck; she had retired from racing the previous year to get married and take care of her dad, who was seriously ill. After his death, she staged a successful comeback. After clinching her sixth crystal globe for the overall World Cup title in 1979, Annemarie was aiming for the elusive Olympic gold medal in 1980 that she had missed eight years before. Yet this time, she was the hunter: Nadig had dominated the previous downhill races, winning six out of seven, as well as a giant slalom. Moser-Proell had won three events, including a downhill, yet she had not been charging as hard as usual. But she still appeared confident heading into the Games. “I’m fully ready for Lake Placid; I have enough confidence for the big day,” she told me in January after her win at Pfronten in western Bavaria. At Lake Placid she managed to stay quiet, resolute and ready for the last assault. On race day, she stayed laser-focused as she made her way down the course, despite strong gusts of wind that disturbed some of her main rivals, including Nadig.

The Swiss favorite came in third this time, behind Moser-Proell and silver medalist Hanni Wenzel, who took gold in slalom and GS. Eight years after Sapporo, “La Proell” had enjoyed a superb revenge. “I’m extremely happy. This success means a lot to me after all those years,” she told reporters at the post-race press conference that I was running in the modest base lodge of the resort. “Even though I had nothing to prove here, it’s a special victory after that nightmare in Japan.” The Austrian was obviously relieved to have blown away the dark clouds of Sapporo that had haunted her. Having followed her career since her first victory in 1970, it was electrifying to hug her after the press conference—a record-setting athlete who had become a good friend. CALGARY 1988 ALBERTO TOMBA, WINNING AND WATCHING WITT The 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary were particularly intense, with ten alpine competitions held over two weeks.

The preceding ski season had been terrific, too, as big crowds closely followed Italy’s unpredictable phenomenon Alberto Tomba, who was dominating the World Cup that season with six victories and a second place standing in the technical events. In an interview before the Games, La Bomba told the press that his dad, Franco, might buy him a Ferrari if he clinched two gold medals in Canada—a mission he accomplished by winning the slalom and the GS. After his victories, Alberto told me he’d be pleased to watch East Germany’s attractive superstar Katarina Witt competing at the ice arena in Calgary. I spoke about it with ABC studio producer Draggan Mihailovich, a Tomba fan, who organized the journey. An ABC van brought us from the medal plaza to the Saddledome arena. The Italian skier, closely followed by a crew from a U.S. network, was proudly wearing his two Olympic gold medals around his neck. Thanks to special accreditations, we were standing right at the rink when Witt started to perform. We had briefly seen Witt during our walk under the crowded stands, as she was exercising with her trainer, Jutta Mueller.

As we approached her, Mueller, who recognized Tomba and might have read about his wish to meet her protégé, pushed Katarina into another room, so she wouldn’t be distracted by the handsome Italian playboy. We enjoyed watching Katarina claim her second Olympic title after a brilliant show. But the skating star didn’t meet Alberto afterwards. They met later that year in Italy during an exhibition—and then again four years later at Les Menuires, the site of the slalom race for the 1992 Albertville Games. Once more, it was Draggan, working then for CBS, who set up the encounter in a nice restaurant in the French resort. During the evening, Witt expressed her desire to ski once with Alberto, who had just collected his third Olympic title in giant slalom at Val d’Isère. “No problem, let’s meet tomorrow afternoon,” he said. The next day, Katarina showed up on time with her gear, which Alberto’s personal bodyguard carried up to the hill. Nearly two hours later, they came back smiling. Witt was exhausted but happy about her exclusive ski lesson. “He was adorable.

He showed me plenty of tricks and we had so much fun,” she told me afterwards as we sat down to enjoy hot chocolate and cakes. The next day, Tomba finished a strong second in a slalom dominated by Norway’s Finn Jagge. Two years later, both Tomba and Witt competed again at Lillehammer. This time, Alberto could not attend her performance, but Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf was sitting next to me. Photo caption: Italian superstar Alberto Tomba won gold in slalom and GS at Calgary, then cheered from the side of the rink as Katarina Witt of East Germany claimed her second Olympic figure-skating title. Four years later, they met for dinner and a private ski lesson. “He was adorable,” said Witt of her time with La Bomba. ALBERTVILLE 1992 LITTLE-KNOWN PATRICK ORTLIEB SHOCKS THE SKI WORLD The steep and sinuous La Face course at Val d’Isère, France, which was built in the late 1980s by Switzerland’s Bernhard Russi, the 1972 men’s downhill Olympic champion, launched an unexpected revolution in the sport.

Russi was selected to design the course by Jean-Claude Killy, co-president of the 1992 Olympic organizing committee, who used to ski on that part of the Bellevarde slope as a kid. Russi traced a new type of downhill that required great technical skills from athletes and a high level of performance from their skis. In fact, the course contributed to new technology in ski construction, ultimately leading to the parabolic “shaped” skis now used by most recreational skiers. The older generation of established alpine speed specialists from that time—led by Swiss racers Daniel Mahrer, William Besse and 1991 downhill FIS world champion Franz Heinzer—had great difficulties in negotiating La Face with their traditional style, which was to enter the turns at full speed and throw the skis sideways to change direction. The new downhill skis produced ad hoc for the Albertville course were shorter and narrower at the middle. They also required more feeling from the racers, who needed to steer them continuously from the entrance to the exit of each turn. It turned out that powerful skiers could exit the turns with amazing acceleration, a situation that caused some spectacular crashes.

Interestingly, none of the well-known “technicians” on the tour, like multiple overall World Cup champion Marc Girardelli or local favorite Franck Piccard, the 1988 Super G Olympic champion, clocked the fastest downhill time on race day. That honor went to a little-known Austrian from Lech, Patrick Ortlieb, who had never won a major event. Wearing bib 1 and with nothing to lose, as he didn’t belong to the circle of favorites, he achieved an aggressive yet controlled run and set a time that nobody could beat. Many of the top guns failed to control their line in the tricky parts of the course. Patrick Ortlieb’s win was the first surprise of the men’s Olympics events at Val d’Isère, yet he confirmed his success in the following seasons with significant triumphs on the World Cup tour, including winning the legendary Hahnenkamm race at Kitzbühel.

Another surprise was revealed later when my father, World Cup founder Serge Lang, intrigued by Patrick’s last name, discovered that he was a double national: Austrian, as he was born in that country from an Austrian mother, but also French through his dad, a cook from Alsace, who had emigrated to Lech to work, raise a family and run the Montana Hotel there. “Ortlieb is a well-known name in Alsace; I think I know some of his relatives,” explained Lang, who was also born in Alsace in 1920. Patrick Ortlieb admitted afterwards that he had a French passport lying around somewhere at home, yet he was happy to race for Austria. Ortlieb’s daughter, a tall racer and 17-year-old beauty named Nina, is now a member of the Austrian C squad after achieving some promising international results. She may soon compete on the World Cup tour. “Is she also French?” I asked him at the 2013 World Cup season start at Soelden. “Possibly yes,” he answered with a grin. Photo caption: Ortlieb takes flight over the men’s downhill course on his way to winning gold at Albertville.

He was able to hold his line on a difficult course, while established speed specialists struggled. AFTER A SPECTACULAR CRASH, HERMINATOR MEETS TERMINATOR Some of ski racing’s greatest characters have attracted even more attention from the media and the crowds, thanks to nicknames invented by fans, friends or reporters. The best example is Austria’s Hermann Maier, one of the greatest personalities in alpine ski racing. He became famous in 1998 after clinching two Olympic gold medals—in Super G and GS—at Nagano despite a horrific crash in downhill. After that, he was known as The Herminator. His formidable appearance, his determination on the slopes, and his numerous victories in the weeks prior to his trip to Japan had led reporters to use rougher nicknames, like The Beast, which Maier didn’t like at all. One of them had also briefly mentioned The Herminator, a combination of his first name and the invincible ‘Terminator” movie character, played by another Austrian legend, Arnold Schwarzenegger. The nickname became particularly apt after he survived his spectacular flight, several meters above the slope, and the post-landing cartwheels in soft snow.

Two days after that frightening accident, he was facing the press to confirm his intention to race the following day in Super G. “It was quite a flight—for sure not as comfortable as our journey over here with Lufthansa,” he said with a grin. In a quick one-camera interview I made with him later on, he added, “I’ll be back!” During one of our early morning production meetings at the CBS office at Hakuba, I discussed Hermann’s chance to excel in the Super G with play-by-play announcer Tim Ryan. “If anybody could do it, it’s for sure Hermann,” I explained with great optimism. I also told Ryan about that funny nickname and Maier’s comment. “That’s a fun story. We should do a feature on it with Arnold,” he said. “I think he is skiing right now at Sun Valley and I know his ski instructor. I’ll call him.” Ryan didn’t need much time to get hold of Schwarzenegger’s Austrian-born ski instructor, Adi Erber, and to organize a crew to do an interview with the movie star. Tim also talked directly to “Arnie,” who asked him for Maier’s phone number.

I gave him the local phone number of Austria’s media coordinator, who did receive a call from Idaho after Hermann’s amazing comeback in Super G. Schwarzenegger was so impressed by Hermann’s triumph and his funny nickname that he wanted to speak to him. During the call, he also invited Maier to visit him next spring in Los Angeles. They also had a great time in California, so it was no surprise when Arnold came the following year to Beaver Creek to encourage his friend, who clinched two more gold medals at the 1999 Ski World Championships. Apparently they also threw quite a party at Arnie’s suite at the Hyatt Hotel to celebrate the wins. Photo caption: Hermann Maier’s nickname, the Herminator, was inspired at the 1998 Games by the movie character played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. The two became friends. Above: Maier on the GS course in Nagano. Right: Schwarzenegger and Maier at the FIS Alpine World Championships in Schladming in February 2013. Austria in February 2013.

Patrick Lang, the son of World Cup founder Serge Lang, has covered 11 Winter Olympics since 1972 and has written about ski racing for dozens of media outlets. His company BioramaSports.com produces the Ski World Cup Guide and provides TV stations with reports from the World Cup circuit. He is a member of the Skiing History magazine editorial board. History magazine editorial board. 10 historic Winter Olympic wonderlands - CNN.com 10 historic Winter Olympic wonderlands By Leslie Gilbert Elman, Special to CNN Updated 3:01 PM ET, Tue February 4, 2014 Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds. Photos: Winter Olympics past Chamonix, France -- 1924 – In the first Winter Olympics, Canadian ice hockey team the Toronto Granites beat the United States 6-1 in the final round to take the gold medal. Hide Caption 1 of 12 Photos: Winter Olympics past Lake Placid, New York -- 1932 – Skaters prepare for the start of the men's 10,000-meter speed skating event in Lake Placid, New York, in 1932.

Irving Jaffee of the United States won the gold, with Ivar Ballangrud of Norway and Frank Stack of Canada taking silver and bronze, respectively. Hide Caption 2 of 12 Photos: Winter Olympics past St. Moritz, Switzerland -- 1948 – Spectators gather to watch the opening ceremony of the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Hide Caption 3 of 12 Photos: Winter Olympics past Oslo, Norway -- 1952 – An Olympic ski jumper takes flight at the Winter Olympics in Oslo, Norway, in 1952. Hide Caption 4 of 12 Photos: Winter Olympics past Innsbruck, Austria -- 1964 – Unidentified athletes participate in the luge event at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. Hide Caption 5 of 12 Photos: Winter Olympics past Sapporo, Japan -- 1972 – Norwegian Magnar Solberg shoots targets during practice for the biathlon (20-kilometer cross-country ski race and rifle shooting) in Makomanai, near Sapporo, Japan.

Solberg won the gold medal in the event four years after becoming an Olympic champion in Grenoble, France. Hide Caption 6 of 12 Photos: Winter Olympics past Innsbruck, Austria -- 1976 – Austrian skier Franz Klammer is all smiles after winning the men's downhill during the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck. Hide Caption 7 of 12 Photos: Winter Olympics past Lake Placid, New York -- 1980 – The U.S. hockey team celebrates its 4-3 victory over the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid in a game dubbed "the Miracle on Ice." The United States went on to win the gold medal by defeating Finland 4-2. Hide Caption 8 of 12 Photos: Winter Olympics past Calgary, Alberta -- 1988 – The Soviet Union's Irina Kusakina competes in the women's luge event at the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, Alberta.

Hide Caption 9 of 12 Photos: Winter Olympics past Albertville, France -- 1992 – Paul Duchesnay and sister Isabelle Duchesnay-Dean of France perform their routine during the compulsory dance section of the ice dancing competition in Albertville in 1992. Hide Caption 10 of 12 Photos: Winter Olympics past Salt Lake City -- 2002 – From left, Italian Fabio Carta, American Apolo Anton Ohno, Australian Mark McNee, Hungarian Kornel Szanto and Britain's Nicky Gooch skate during the men's 1,500-meter short-track heats in Salt Lake City in 2002. Hide Caption 11 of 12 Photos: Winter Olympics past Vancouver, British Columbia -- 2010 – Canadians Sidney Crosby, left, and Scott Niedermayer celebrate as their team wins the gold against the United States in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia. Hide Caption Winter Olympics venues past offer speed thrills to less competitive visitors The St.

Moritz-Celerina bobsleigh run is sometimes open to guest riders Take an evening lantern hike in Innsbruck, Austria, for a more leisurely downhill experience Plenty of people who feel no inclination to schuss or slide or Salchow are faithful fans of the Winter Olympic Games. For them, we present this list of sites and activities at former Winter Olympic venues. You won't need skis or skates -- you don't even have to feel the cold wind against your skin -- to show your appreciation for the athletes or to experience just a bit of what they must have felt when competing at the Winter Olympic Games. Chamonix, France (1924) More than 10,000 paying spectators came to watch 11 women and 247 men compete in ice hockey, figure skating, speed skating, bobsleighing, curling, Nordic (cross-country) skiing and ski jumping at Chamonix Winter Sports Week 90 years ago. It wasn't until after the event proved to be such a success that it became known as the "first" Winter Olympic Games.

Although few reminders of those games remain, the Alpine Museum in Chamonix houses some mementos, and the Catholic Church Èglise Saint-Michel à Chamonix commemorates the region's Olympic heritage with a stained glass window featuring skiers and a bobsleigh. And this charming alpine village near Mont Blanc -- the "roof of Europe" -- still offers a world-class winter experience to athletes and bar-hoppers alike. Photos: Remnants of glory in former Olympic cities St. Moritz, Switzerland (1928 and 1948) When 15-year-old Norwegian figure skating sensation Sonja Henie performed her gold-medal-winning routine on the ice rink outside the Badrutt family's Kulm Hotel in 1928, the location couldn't have been more appropriate. In 1864, hotelier Johannes Badrutt turned St. Moritz into a winter vacation destination by convincing his summertime guests that they'd enjoy the Swiss Alps just as much in winter. Sportsman Alphonse Badrutt supported construction of the natural ice St. Moritz-Celerina bobsleigh run .

And Johannes' grandson, Hans, was a member of the executive committees that brought the 1928 games to St. Moritz . The Kulm and Badrutt's Palace hotels are still St. Moritz landmarks, as is the St. Moritz-Celerina bobsleigh run, which is open to guest riders when it's not being used by Olympians-in-training. Sochi hotels report construction delays Lake Placid, New York (1932 and 1980) Although Lake Placid hosted the games in 1932, it is most remembered for the U.S. athletes' performances at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games -- especially the U.S. men's ice hockey team's "Miracle on Ice" victory over the heavily favored Soviet team followed by their gold-medal win over Finland and Eric Heiden's unprecedented five gold medals in speed skating. That historic speed-skating oval stands just outside the Lake Placid Olympic Center, which houses a small museum and the hockey arena now dedicated to coach Herb Brooks.

The whole Whiteface and Mount Van Hoevenberg area remains a top-level training ground for future Olympians; and if you're feeling adventurous, the Lake Placid Bobsled Experience lets you try out the track they still use today for their training. Sochi 2014: Russia's numbers game Oslo, Norway (1952) It sometimes seems as if the Olympic Winter Games were created to remind the world just how many outstanding winter athletes come from Norway. (No country has won more medals in the Winter Olympic Games.) So when you're in Oslo, it's no surprise that the Holmenkollen ski jump is still the biggest thing in town. Ski jumping has been part of the action here since 1892, and the jump has been redeveloped more than a dozen times. The latest structure, which opened in 2010, is made of steel and stretches nearly 97 meters (318 feet). The Ski Simulator at the top of the hill is a virtual reality experience that will leave you breathless and more awestruck by ski-jumpers than ever.

The arena next to the ski jump was used for cross-country skiing and biathlon competitions in 1952, and might be again should Oslo win its bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics. Blood Falls and other natural oddities Innsbruck, Austria (1964 and 1976) The Tyrolean Alps were a picture-perfect backdrop for Olympic skiing competition in 1976 as Austrian favorite Franz Klammer seemed to gobble up the terrain on his way to a gold medal in the men's downhill and West Germany's Rosi Mittermaier took two golds and a silver in the women's downhill and slalom events. You'll want more than the 1 minute 45 seconds or so that Klammer and Mittermaier spent on the mountain. Take your time to soak in the scenery on an evening lantern hike that takes you past the Olympic ski slopes and ends with singing and beverages at a friendly inn.

Sapporo, Japan (1972) The double lift takes just five minutes to carry you to the top of the Okurayama 90-meter ski jump hill where, in 1972, 19-year-old Wojciech Fortuna became the first and only Polish man to win an Olympic ski-jumping gold medal. (In 1972, transport to the top took 20 minutes; the trip down for Fortuna, less than 20 seconds.) The viewing lounge at 300 meters allows you to peer down at the city and at the ski jump starting line. At the Sapporo Winter Sports Museum , simulators in the "Sensation/Experience Zone" replicate the ski jump experience. Calgary, Canada (1988) The Olympic spirit has never left Calgary, where Katarina Witt won a gold medal in figure skating for East Germany and curling resurfaced as a demonstration sport after an absence of more than 50 years. In addition to marking the Olympic debut of American speed skater Bonnie Blair, the Calgary Olympics also introduced the world to the Jamaican Bobsleigh Team (later immortalized in the 1993 film "Cool Runnings").

Today, visitors with just slightly less bobsleigh training than those four gentlemen can slide down the very same track at speeds of up to 75 miles per hour (120 km/h) in a bobsleigh driven by a professional pilot . In summer, you can do the run in a bobsleigh on wheels or zip-line down the mountain from the 90-meter ski jump. Albertville, France (1992) At the Albertville games, the newly unified German team included singles luger Georg Hackl in his second of what would be five Olympic games winning his first of three gold medals. Today, as a visitor, you can come as close as you'll ever come to his experience on the speed luge at the La Plagne Olympic bobsleigh track -- a one-person luge that reaches speeds up to 55 miles per hour (89 kph). Or rub elbows with an Olympian at a more relaxed pace at Le Chalet d'Eleonore in Les Saisies , an alpine-style bed and breakfast run by former Olympic skier Leila Piccard.

(Her brother Franck, a gold medalist in the Super-G at the Calgary Games, works at the Les Saisies ski resort.) Salt Lake City, Utah (2002) Guided tours of Utah Olympic Park near Park City reveal some "backstage" secrets about the Olympic events and visit some memorable spots, such as the ski jump where 20-year-old Simon Ammann from Switzerland was a surprise gold-medal winner and undisputed crowd-pleaser in the K90 Individual and K120 individual events. At the Alf Engen Ski Museum , you can find out more about the region's Olympic skiing past, present and future, including an exhibition on the U.S. women's ski jumping team, which will compete for the first time in Olympic history at Sochi. After taking a look at the Olympic medals in the museum's collection, head back to Salt Lake City and Olympic Cauldron Park where the medal ceremonies took place. Vancouver, Canada (2010) Many venues from the 2010 Olympic Winter Games have been smoothly integrated or reintegrated into the Vancouver landscape.

BC Place, site of the opening and closing ceremonies, is back to being the home of the BC Lions (CFL) and Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS) and hockey venue Rogers Arena remains the home of the NHL Vancouver Canucks. The Olympic cauldron stands outside the Vancouver Convention Centre. The Richmond Olympic Oval, where Dutch speed skater Sven Kramer set new Olympic records in the 5,000 and 10,000 meter races, is now a public skating rink, community center and future site of the interactive Richmond Olympic Experience , expected to open in late 2014. While there are Olympic sites throughout the area, you might find yourself closest to your athletic dreams if you spend the night at the HI-Whistler Hostel , originally part of the Athlete's Village.

Question: What was the nationality of former Olympic downhill skier Franz Klammer?
Answer: Austrian